ACT 3 – 3000RPM 'My Story'

A couple of weeks ago, I have been receiving phone calls and letters from a strange large-scale organization. They apparently knew who I was and somehow knew my sister as well. I have been requested to attend certain meetings in relation to their organisation's cause, and for some reason, they believed I was a key element in their objective. I was offered a contract though not just your everyday job contract. The organization offered me a chance to become one of their competitors and at the same time, fund my resources and support my finances as long as I continue to grow in skill, as they say. But what skills do I have? They believed that someone like me did not belong in the kitchen. They said I did not deserve to mop floors, wash dishes, or clean tables. They believed that I belong behind the wheel. Their organization was known as Zui Hou R…

A young woman from their organization began to contact me recently. She was one of the high-ranking officials within the organization. Her name was Fukada Kumiko. I had met her before a couple of times, even been shopping with her too. Little did I know was that she was one of the heroines of the underground - a famous road racer whom once played the game alongside my sister when she was still actively racing. She was also my ex-boyfriend's mentor.
Miss Fukada Kumiko rang me up one day and asked me to join her at the organisation's headquarters for some propositions. Of course, I accepted, as it was okay with my sister. If she trusts Kumiko, then I guess I'll trust her too.

I was taken down a highly restricted area within the base; Kumiko took me straight to their organisation's leader. Everybody referred to him as the Emperor. So this was the man that Mark, Ling and Stephen worked for too. He work a mask, yet even though his face was only half covered, I could tell that there was something in there that did not emit his real voice. It sounded like one of those fake scary voices you hear in interrogation rooms. Well, it's not like I've been interrogated before, but you see it in movies. Anyway, this so-called Emperor told me some sort of fairytale about some legendary deceased road racer before he got down to business. He had then shown me one of the greatest machinery I have ever seen. I had no idea what it was. The car was white with a black top and a long body with a scoop attached from the rear engine to the roof. All I saw was the logo on the black carbon spoiler written 'NSX-R'. Whatever it was, for a car, I'd say it looked very beautiful.

I was surprised when the Emperor told me that I was selected as its test pilot. I was scared at first, and yet I had a reason to be. But there was one thing on my mind, the only thing I could think of to bring me courage. And that was it. I stepped into the vehicle and was requested to put on some kind of weird looking helmet. There were all these wires hanging down from it connected with some apparatus inside to the car itself. All of a sudden, the lift began to elevate. That was it. There was no turning back.

For some reason, all my fears were gone. I drove the car around a certain track that was located within the base itself. The car handled so well and rather easily – I do not think it was because of my skills or experience. I am so dumb about cars. I don't know why I can manage to drive this fast. It was much different from my sister's car. It seemed much smoother, more efficient, it felt like I could do anything I tried and be successful at it. It was a good feeling. This kind of car made me feel as if I could reach out for anything and succeed. As I cruised along the circuit, the Emperor spoke to me via the communications device within the helmet. He said all these weird things that I could not seem to remember. It was something to do with my synconization ratio or something or perhaps my brainwaves. He said that I had a very stable mind, and for some reason, the machine coordinated well with my thought pattern and car control precision. I did not understand any of that at all.

After a short while, the car began to scare me. Of course I did not feel scared at the time, the machine somehow removed all distractions from my head. However, nearly parts of my conciousness began to linger and be consumed by the machine. I did not know what was going on. I felt like I was being controlled, like the machine is making me drive faster.
For an odd reason, I could not scream in panic. The machine did not let me. It was like I was not even allowed to be scared. I continued to drive. Very soon, I realized the car going sideways. Could I have been hallucinating?

I could vaguely remember what had happened after that. The next thing I knew, I was back at the platform when I came to. I rolled my windows down in fatigue and the first thing I saw was the Emperor's face. I could not pay attention to a word he said, but he looked rather proud or impressed at me. As I stepped out, I noticed Kumiko and the others applauding me.

Later on, I was called in again to show up at the base. This time, I had a bad feeling. I was told to pilot the NSX-R once again. It was nighttime and I was asked to join a group of armed men. They looked like they were Triads or something. The Emperor did not have his mask on, though he looked really pissed off at something. Then he mentioned the name Fu Huo. He ordered us to pursue him. I was curious myself on what Fu Huo had done. Nobody told me anything else, but I wanted to go see Fu Huo anyway and get a better explanation from him. I drove the white car out of the base for the first time, followed by a few other cars behind me. They were slower cars. I had to wear that ridicioulous helmet again. However, it was rather convenient. It showed me all these different routes and shortcuts around the city.

My group had received word that Fu Huo was on his way to the mountains. What could he be doing on his way there? And why is he running away? The group of strangers and I were redirected to pursue Fu along Route D1. He was too fast for the others to catch, so I was left on my own to catch Fu Huo. I could not think properly though – this helmet is almost taking control of me. I did not know why I was still driving up there. I followed Fu Huo down the mountain. But I could not stop. I passed him after a few corners, and then I lost him. After a while, I began to struggle. Those men were armed. What could they have done to Fu Huo?
I turned the car back around and drove the other way this time.

There was no sign of Fu Huo's car anywhere. Last time I checked, he was going my way. Howver, I found the group of men and their cars parked around a certain section along the guardrails. I had no idea what was going on there. Still no sign of Fu Huo. I stepped out of the car to check what was going on. I found out nothing. The men told me that they have received a new order from the base. I was to return the car back to the chamber and they still have not found Fu Huo. They told me that he disappeared somewhere. I did not like their tone at all. They must have known something. Seeing as they were armed and I was not, I did not seem to have much of a choice at that moment but to follow their order and return to base. They said they would take care of Fu Huo and bring him back safely.

I arrived back at the base later that night and finally returned the car to the chambers. The Emperor was still restless and continued to pace himself. I waited with him for a while. His men still have not returned with Fu Huo. I waited and waited… Fu Huo never came back. After a couple of hours, the men came back and told me that Fu Huo had disappeared. They were unable to find him. I did not want to give up on him, but there was really nothing I could do. No traces of where he went whatsoever.
I wonder where he could have disappeared? Where are you, Chuan Fu Huo?

This was not the end. I knew that there would be another day for the Emperor to call on me to drive once again. Since that day, I had become one of those minor groups of drivers known as the Shireishou Divine Unit. Though I was lost, confused and somehow rotting inside, I struggled to believe within me that somehow Fu Huo was not dead. I wanted to believe that he is still around somewhere; I believe that he will come back some day. I had no time to cherish all the times he's spent with me just to teach me how to drive, how to learn, how to act, how to think, drift and win like him. I will not let his efforts go to waste. I will make it up to you, Fu Huo, as long as you still exist deep within me, I will become the greatest of the Divine Unit in honour of you and your legacy. You might be gone, but your legend will live on through me. As long as you remain deep within me, I do not need that helmet to eliminate all my fears.

This is my story. My name is Kouda Minako. Welcome to my chapter. 

Now is a time in which I am both free yet at the same time, I am rather lost. Actually, I've always been lost from the beginning. I never really knew what I was doing… until today.
I learned about a lot of things recently. Not just about myself, but those around me. I was re-introduced to the Divine Unit crew once again, as I was called to join them at the headquarters of the organization. They were more sophisticated than I thought.

Little Ling was actually one of the unit's best – I could not imagine such a young individual possessing such skill and experience. I'm perfectly sure that he took it easy on me when we drove down at Route D1 last month. His car was also out of the ordinary. I did not realize that it was actually a more advanced model of the car driven by Fu Huo. Evo-seven it was called. It was much more of a monster than I initially expected. His codename was Shireishou S – the General of the South Garage.

Mark, one of Fu's childhood friends was also part of the elite touge and autocross team. He's much different from all the others in the group. Actually, everyone in it differs from each other. Apparently he is known for using the most cunning and rational tactics for winning – it's just like him when he plays poker with us too. He drives a white Honda. I see a lot of people drive the same model as him, but there is something about Mark's car that's different from them all. He was referred to as Shireishou N – the General of the North Garage.

One of Fu Huo's closest buddies, Stephen was also a member of this group. Why am I not surprised? He is probably the biggest car fanatic I know, possibly even more than Fu Huo is. Whenver those two are in the same room, there is nothing else they talk about other than boxes with wheels on them. He's a rather funny bloke, and he's rather cool at the same time. He absolutely loves his Mazda – I bet he probably sleeps in there too. I heard he almost beat Miss Kumiko and Fu Huo at some point. He must be good. He must be very good; I'm not sure if I am a match for him just by knowledge. He is the Shireishou W – the General of the West Garage.

There was another member, who I have not met before. He seemed a little older and much more mature than all the others. His name was Shi Jian. Apparently, he was also an old acquaintance of Fu Huo and used to race alongside him and train him a lot too just like Miss Kumiko did. He's not really active anymore though, as he spends most of his time in the office doing accounting work and some engineering. I heard he also fronts a clinic near the mountain provinces of F5. I have not seen him race too often, but it is said that he had shattered countless records back in his time, some have still yet to be defeated. He was once known as Shireishou E – the General of the East Garage.

Miss Kumiko called me in again as she and the Emperor had shown me my own garage. As Kumiko would put it, it was my new home. The Emperor Hyuga told me that since I am the one who drives…or rather, pilots the Honda, it is also partially mine. He says I can use it for everyday travel purposes and represent the organization as a company car. However, if I damage it, or alter it in anyway, he said he would take it off my cut. Fair enough. Well it beats having to bother my sister about using her car all the time. It feels right anyway, I'm much more comfortable to consider a car that was actually mine… well, sort of. At least I don't have to always keep some spare change for the bus anymore. But the thing is, I have to spend even more money for gas! Yikes, guess I have to work extra hard with my sister as well as win a lot of races. I was handed down the title that Fu Huo himself once was. He was actually the first one chosen to pilot the Honda before I came along. But with him missing, I had been promoted to replace him as Shireishou X – the General of the Central Garage. Emperor Hyuga always mentioned that I was a much more worthy driver for the Honda than Fu Huo was. That's not true. Fu Huo will always been twice the driver I will ever be. That is also why I feel comfortable with this car, knowing that a part of Fu Huo remains within the previous data.

On that same day, I had been called in to take another test. I was free on that day, so it was okay. Thankfully, everyone was very patient with me. I found myself asking questions half the time and wondering what to do next. I was that there was a slight modification for the pilot system for the Honda. I was requested to hop inside, though this time there was no helmet. The apparatus inside was already attached to the seat's headrest and there was a visor that retracted to fit my head to while a frame-like headset was fitted firmly around my head with a set of wires hanging out from the back. At first, it felt weird. There were all these weird vibrations emitting from the headset, while these various sets of data appeared within the visor. It seemed to be configuring with my brain. It was unreal. It was as if the car responded to my thoughts. Probably something to do with my brainwave pattern or signals from my nerves or something. I don't understand that sort of stuff. The seat even readjusted itself the moment my body told my mind that I was uncomfortable. It's like the headset scans the signals my brain gets from my nerves and responds to it as well as displays it in the little screen shown by the visor. It was transparent, as I could see through the visor – well of course, how could I see the road if I could not see through it. It was as if I was wearing sunglasses, but with vast amounts of feedback from the lenses. Speaking of the lenses, the seemed like they were polarized and were coloured a dark orange. Oh well, it was much better than that helmet. At least you could operate the CD player from it too. There was a small set of keys near the steering wheel too and an orb at the center. Looks like they replaced the standard Honda wheel with a new Zui Hou wheel. I could operate what was shown to me in the visor by using the touch screen function on the orb – sort of like a mouse or a trackpoint. It also showed the same data that was displayed inside the visor. Again, it was a big improvement from that annoying helmet. At least you could get some fresh air too.

Before I was launched up the platform, I cycled through the files that were archived into the system accessed through the helmet. It was really fast, but somehow, my mind could easily keep up with the pace. It's as if my brain was working ten times its normal speed. Now that's just not possible. There were some folders containing a lot of song files, videos and other documents. It was like an entire hard disk drive. However, there was hardly anything in the folders. The quantity of the songs, videos and other stuff were rather limited. But there was one folder that was rather huge in disk size. I cycled through them; they were previous track records and test results from the previous test pilot. Fu Huo's test results? I opened one, and suddenly, I felt a sudden panic and a sudden jolt of adrenaline. I could not tell what was going on, but I was viewing one of the previous tests that were recorded. It was amazing, but scary at the same time. It was as if Fu Huo's wave patterns were also recorded in those tests. The more I browsed through, the scarier it became. It was as if I felt Fu Huo's anguish during the time he had experienced this system. It was horrible, but at the same time, it brought me more courage to use the system. Knowing that part of Fu Huo's mentality had been engraved in this system makes me feel like he is right by my side. Thanks, Fu.

I was raised up the platform much sooner than I had expected. This was it. I'm ready for anything. I started the engine and started revving it softly. There were various categories of different values and numbers shown to me in the apparatus. I had never seen them ever in my life, but somehow, I understood them all. I had no time to think about anything else. Now let's see what this thing can really do!

Here I am, focused forward – staring at nothing but the road ahead. I gripped the steering wheel with one hand and my other on the shiftknob. I was told that I can begin anytime. As ready and prepared as I ever was, I began to accelerate on first gear. It was the first time I had been introduced to what was known as the 'Street Angel's Theme' 'Fly High' – Ayumi Hamasaki (Original Version)

It was a great feeling – now I understand why the helmet system was replaced. Since the targa top was down, the visor and the headset enabled me to feel comfortable having the fresh air on my face and at the same time, the system did not suffer from disruption of the wind. It was a nice addition. I like the fact that this car had been modified to be a targa top. I don't know why, I guess it's just my taste. Maybe because I'm a woman? Oh, well, no matter. It's so cool.

'hanarerarezu ni ita yo zutto
minarete'ru keshiki ga atta kara'

Now I'm beginning to travel faster… I continued to shift the gears upward as I launch the car into the first corner. Then just before the entry, I shifted downward this time and turned. This car's shifting is much different from my sister's car. My Honda has six gears. I figure I shift a lot more often than I usually do with the other car. But just like before, I gain more control and accelerate better when I downshift and rev up. I learned this just by watching Fu Huo drive. At first, I did not understand it when he explained it, "Make her scream and she'll do as you please," I only understood what he was trying to say when he was able to oversteer when he downshifted.

Out of the first corner, I felt like I was still using the things Fu Huo have taught me rather than this headset. He told me once to try and enter a corner at a very high speed, then quickly downshift as I turn in and try to make the car slide. So I tried just that. This was where the system really assisted me, as it began to tell me immediately what angle to keep my car at. I could not do with when I first tried it with my sister's car. But corner after corner, the lesser my mistakes. It's true that this system does not drive for me, but it shows me the difference between what I think I am doing, and what I actually am doing.

'itsu ka mata kono basho e kite mo
onaji sora o onaji you ni miete
utsukushii to ieru no ka to
boku wa kangaesugita no ka mo shirenai
sukoshi no nemuri ni tsuite mata asu isogou'

I'm still having difficulty trying to get the car at the right angles for the corner's exit. But the more I do it, the more it just came naturally. I guess the system got ride of all my hesitations as well. I accelerate further, revving all the way at 8000rpm… wait a minute, what am I talking about? What is rpm?
No matter, I'll try it again!
Fu Huo… I feel you right with me… Let's go!

Without thinking much, I lifted the speed of my vehicle greatly. I continued my pace at such a high speed, focusing on the next sharp corner. I have tried this many times before with my sister's car, but I've actually never done it properly.
I begin to lift my foot off the throttle for a moment and turned in aggressively, with my car still traveling with such velocity. I revved my car high, as I hope to force the car into my will.
In a sudden moment, my car's rear started to skid to the side…

Could it be? I was sliding! My car was… flying sideways? Is this what Fu Huo was talking about? Am I… drifting?

'nan da ka subete ga chippoke de
chiisa na katamari ni mieta no wa
aoida sora ga amari ni hatenaku
hirosugita kara datta no ka mo shirenai
kimi no tonari ni ita kara ka mo shirenai'

I did it! Now I had to set my car back in the right direction so I won't slide too much… Wait, maybe I should say… counter-steer?
I slid across the entire curve controlling my vehicle as it continued to drift at an extreme angle – I was basically facing the sharpest part of the curve while I quickly punched the throttle again.

I have never done something like this before. Now I understand all the fuss about this drift talk. Now I know why Fu likes it so much…

'atama de wa wakatte'ru tsumori demo ne
surechigau doko ka no dare ka no koto
furikaette nagamete wa urayandari'

It's such a good feeling…
This new system…
It may be able to suppress my hesitations, distractions, fears and doubt, but it still allows me to feel the adrenaline at it's best.
I don't know how to explain it… it is like I am in the most perfect state of mind but at the same time, I am so high… Or am I?
Maybe it's just me… Well you can't really blame me… after all, it is the first time I've ever drifted. It's so cool and exciting!

After a while, I started to get a headache. I could not seem to slow down much at all. It is like I cannot rest. After a few more laps, I began to feel fatigued. I had been pushing myself all the way for a long time.
My mind kept telling me I had to drive more, but I did not want to. I can't… I can't let the system control me… I was selected to pilot this because there was nobody else who can…!

Wait a minute… why am I saying this? This feeling… was this what Fu Huo was feeling?
The system… it's making me…

Ugh… stop it!
I started breathing heavily, but I can't slow myself down. I have to… stop this car!

Stop it! No… I'm not afraid… No… stop it!